10 Signs That We're Headed For The Robot Uprising

7. They Have Rights

Sticking with Pepper for the moment, this emotional robot could be ushering in a new age of roboethics.

For those who wish to drop more than $1,500 on a Pepper bot, it's not quite as simple as purchasing a product. Pepper owners are required to sign an agreement that they will not use the robot for "acts for the purpose of sexual or indecent behaviour," due to its emotional nature.

Whether or not this was a publicity stunt, this means that Pepper is one of the first robots to be protected by rights.

Protecting Pepper from the possibility of being used for the gratification of a human is just the thin end of the wedge. If Pepper is not allowed to be "used" in this manner, then would it also be wrong to have a robot perform menial tasks for you? Should they be paid? Should you even be allowed to "own" something with an emotional capacity?

The answer to these questions is probably "no" for the time being, but as the technology develops, it is undoubtedly a conversation that some people will be having.